Portsmouth's administrators today responded to questions over their role by insisting they had no prior contact with the club's latest owners before their appointment.

At the high court this week Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, owed at least £15m by Portsmouth as part of an overall debt of £86m, raised a string of concerns about the way that Portsmouth entered administration.

Among the list of questions presented to the court, they demanded "transparency" over the relationship between Balram Chainrai, the club's fourth owner this season, and the administrator, Andrew Andronikou of UHY Hacker Young.

Today the administrators released a statement in an effort to kill any suggestion that there had been any communication between the two prior to its appointment.

"UHY Hacker Young would like to make it clear that it has had no contact with the chargeholder of Portsmouth FC, Portpin Limited, prior to its appointment as administrator," it said. "The first time administrator Andrew Andronikou had contact with Portpin was in mid-February to discuss taking the club into administration."

It emerged in court that both use the same solicitor, Balsara & Co, which recently took over the club's client account from Fuglers. Portsmouth's own banking facilities were withdrawn several months ago.

"We understand that any funds will come from Mr Chainrai and our concern is that there should be a full and independent investigation of the position and the transactions between the club and Mr Chainrai," Gregory Mitchell QC, representing Portsmouth, told the court.

He also said that "very little" was known about Portpin, the British Virgin Islands-registered company through which Chainrai advanced the club a loan of £17m last year, secured on Portsmouth's assets. He last month took control after his predecessor Ali al-Faraj failed to meet repayments on the loan.

UHY Hacker Young said today the administration had been challenged on "purely procedural" grounds and remains confident that once the necessary documentation is lodged on 13 March, it will be able to proceed with finding a buyer.

Chainrai has promised to continue to fund the club in administration, although it will cost £14m just to take the club, almost certain to be docked nine points by the Premier League, through to the end of April.